North Carolina will see some indirect impacts from Hurricane Isaias

Ethan Clark

October 8, 2026 at 11:50:44 AM

🌀 Hurricane Isaias Update: Good afternoon, everyone. I know you've been waiting for this; here's my forecast update on Isaias's indirect impacts on North Carolina this weekend. The positives: This is NOT a repeat of Helene by any means at all, so please don't think that! The weekend isn't a total washout; there will be dry time, and the storm is moving fast enough to clear out pretty quickly. The world is not ending here in NC, and we will be just fine. Don't stress. Isaias became a Hurricane overnight and will keep strengthening until landfall, and it will make landfall along the Florida/Alabama-Mississippi coast on Friday evening; significant impacts are likely in these areas. This update will cover impacts in NC, though. Even though Isaias's center will go into Tennessee and not impact NC directly, we will get indirect impacts from the outer bands and the surrounding front.

📌Here's how I think it'll play out:

RAIN: Scattered to isolated showers will be around across the state Saturday morning, and but there will be breaks and dry time for sure Saturday morning into the afternoon; coverage looks pretty hit or miss. Saturday afternoon and evening rain chances ramp up, especially west and along the coast, it seems; some rain could be heavy at times by the time the evening and overnight rolls along. Sunday morning rain will be around hit or miss throughout the state, and start clearing out Sunday PM/evening. The race in Charlotte is trending drier btw.

Amounts Image 2: Rainfall through Sunday PM, we will see generally 1-2 inches along the high mountains, and in Central and Northern NC. At this point, we're not expecting much flooding; we would only see some if a storm trains over the same area. Most of these areas desperately need the rain. 2-4 inches in the orange-area parts of the mountians/foothills and then coastal areas. Along the coast, the front could enhance rain at times, so we could see some bursts of heavy rainfall. Across the Foothills and Blue Ridge Escarpment, we could see some localized flooding in flood-prone areas if heavier rain sets up, so we will watch it. The rainfall forecast is still fluid, and with any tropical system can change, so stay tuned and don't take it literally this is using my best knowledge of the setup and models to make this.

Wind: Winds will really not be a concern but some gusty winds of 20-35MPH are possible with up to 45MPH in the mountians, maybe a couple of isolated outages in the mountians but I am really not concerned about this.

Tornado Threat: Given that NC is on the right side of the storm, and high wind shear is around, especially late Saturday into Sunday, we could see a low-end tornado threat develop in parts of Eastern/Central NC late Saturday night into Sunday, but the threat is fluid and not a certainty right now. So, stay tuned; overall, it looks pretty low. I'm watching, of course.

😎The Bottom Line: The world is not ending; we will be just fine. Minimal overall impact: This system is moving fast and isn't a repeat of Helene; the weekend won't be a washout and will feature plenty of dry time, including a trending-dry race in Charlotte. Rainfall: Expect 1 to 2 inches of rain across central and northern areas, and 2 to 4 inches in the mountains, foothills, and coast, bringing mostly beneficial moisture but a localized risk of flooding in vulnerable spots. Minor Wind & Low Tornado Risk: Sustained winds and gusts (20–35 MPH, up to 45 MPH in the mountains) are mostly a minor nuisance, though a low-end, highly fluid tornado threat will be monitored across Eastern and Central NC late Saturday night into Sunday. Stay tuned on that. This is the forecast as I see it now, but remember it is a science and things can and will change, so I'll do my best to keep you posted!

Mountains

110°F

Raleigh area

CADEN NELSON

Tropical Update: Tropical Development Possible off the NC coast this weekend into early next week, it could impact NC.

ncwxauthority

Sep 13, 2024

2 min read

🌀Tropical Update: The ever-evolving forecast at least it keeps the weather forecasting fun. A non-tropical area of low pressure could form along a frontal boundary a few hundred miles off the North Carolina coastline, and it could develop into a tropical system late this weekend into early next week and move into North Carolina. Named or not, I think we'll see periods of rain, some heavy at times, Monday-Wednesday across parts of Central and Eastern, which could result in Flash Flooding. The system is being watched solely by models, and this is a homegrown thing, so we'll have to watch it play-by-play as one would say. No models show the system getting really strong, but a weak Tropical Storm can't be ruled out. Rain with some wind would be the theme; several inches of rain is possible early next week. I know people are going to ask about Tornadoes, it is too soon to know about that threat but I'll be monitoring and updating you through the weekend. No concerns about that this weekend. Coastal Flood, there could be some coastal flooding due to the King Tides along the coast Sunday-Wednesday, so watch out for some higher-than-usual tides. If you have plans along the coast for the next few days, you'll be fine, but plan for rain at times and maybe some gusty winds.

This weekend, we will see some scattered showers on and off along the coast and some inland, not directly related to this low pressure. If you're heading, be aware of high surf and high rip currents.

The Bottom Line: A low-pressure system could develop off the coast late weekend and move inland early next week, potentially a weak tropical storm. Be aware of some heavy rain possible from this and gusty winds across Central and Eastern NC. It won't be a huge deal, but it is something to keep an eye on over the weekend. I'll be watching trends and post updates; no, we're not getting a hurricane or anything strong; basically, a rain event is the main thing, with the potential of some gusty winds and coastal flooding, too. I'll keep you updated like I always do.

-Ethan